Nothing More, Nothing Less, Only Love
by pussycatwithattitude
Summary: Based on a list of prompts I found on Tumblr. Various moments between Anna and Bates, going from Series 1 to 4 and maybe straying into modern times. There will be warnings if there are any S4 spoilers in any of these chapters.
1. Introduction

**A/N: **I don't even know, this is simply procrastination at its best. I saw these prompts on Tumblr and thought, why not? So there's 100 in the list (although I'm not sure how many I'll ever be able to get done) and I'll post them here as and when. I want to try and keep them in Downton-universe but they may stray into modern AU sometimes. Any S4 spoilers, I will mention it at the top of the page. We sort of need fluff at the moment, so most of it probably will be.

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******Nothing More, Nothing Less, Only Love**

_**1, Introduction**_

Anna would always remember the day she met John. The day Downton received news of the Titanic's sinking. She had woken that morning groggily – forever wishing she could be granted just that little bit longer to sleep – and, for some unknown reason, her chores that morning had dragged. Dressing all of the girls had been a challenge, especially since Lady Edith had decided she wanted to wear a completely different outfit, one that had conveniently been stored in a separate wardrobe across the house to make space. Then, making the beds with Gwen had seemed monotonous (well, it _was _but usually Anna would get by). The only thought that had been getting her through the early morning was the nice, hot cup of tea waiting for her in the Servants' Hall. And Mrs Patmore had been cooking her favourite that night – beef stew. The thought had left Anna's mouth watering with anticipation.

But, strangely, her outlook on the day had suddenly changed as she was making her way downstairs with Gwen and Miss O'Brien.

It seemed something, or _someone_, even better had been waiting for her. There he had stood, leaning heavily on his cane – now, she knew, it must have been the walk up to the house with his bag.

'_I'm Anna, the head housemaid.'_

And as she had offered him her hand, felt his sturdy grip around it, she had suddenly felt as though a missing piece had aligned itself. She would not have been able to describe it back then. Back then it felt as though a kinship had begun. The way he smiled and followed her once Miss O'Brien had rejected his formal gesture, the way he had subtly appreciated her faith in his abilities when all of those around him saw the cane first and not the man, they just seemed to _know_ each other.

Anna smiled to herself at the memory.

'Penny for your thoughts?'

'Oh, they're worth a lot more than that, Mr Bates.'

Anna teased him, turning on her side to face him. She loved seeing him this way – his hair ruffled after a night of sleep, and perhaps _other_ particular activities, the crinkles around his eyes that accompanied any true smile of his, or just there in his night clothes, a simple reminder of all they had fought through and achieved together.

His arm moved, his hand splaying across her hip through the fabric of her nightgown. He began to gently circle his thumb across it, Anna shivering even through her clothes.

'I don't doubt that,' he replied hoarsely.

'I was thinking… Do you remember the day we met?'

John smiled. 'Of course I do. The fifteenth of April, 1912.'

Anna looked up at him, her eyes scolding him lightly for being such a sentimental softie – it was true, he was the most likely of the two of them to remember dates and shower her with gifts for no particular reason other than he felt like it – even though, in truth, she remembered the date too.

'Pushing my way in through the back door, getting a scolding from Miss O'Brien for the trouble, and meeting you.'

'Do you think you knew?' Anna asked softly, raising her hand to his chest and stroking it softly. 'Do you think you knew, even then? Because I think I did.'

John paused for a moment, still stroking her side. 'I knew my life was going to change, and I also knew that you were one of the most beautiful, kind and thoughtful women I had ever met.'

Anna smirked at her husband.

'John Bates, you charmer. I know exactly what you want.'

John raised an eyebrow, but soon a devilish smirk took over his features, and his hands gripped her sides a little more forcefully, managing in one, swift movement to pull her into a position above him, his lips immediately searching for hers greedily.

'I knew it,' Anna murmured against his lips, although still _very_ willing to respond to his touches and kisses.

As it turned out, they would arrive late for work that morning.


	2. Love

**A/N: **Thank you all _so _much for the response, I'm really glad you liked it. Have more fluff before the finale tomorrow…

**Warning: **There is a brief S4 spoiler mention, but I wouldn't say it's a big give away. Just a hint that something will happen.

**Disclaimer: **I forgot this before, but _Downton Abbey _isn't mine, nor are the characters. If they were, this series wouldn't have happened.

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**Nothing More, Nothing Less, Only Love**

**2, Love**

Mrs Hughes had always been a kind of mother figure, showing something of a motherly instinct towards Anna as soon as she had arrived at Downton as a rather timid, but with a well-mannered flare if need be, fourteen-year-old girl. Mrs Hughes had always been the one Anna could turn to in her times of need – when her sister had needed her help with her newborn baby, when she felt as though Thomas had gotten a little too ahead of himself and was bullying some of the younger footmen, when her mother had sadly passed away, when Mr Bates had been sentenced to death and then life imprisonment, the night of the concert and the horrific weeks and months that followed for her – and now, Anna was slowly beginning to understand that motherly instinct.

As she held her newborn baby girl in her arms, Anna felt a wave of love rush over her. She still couldn't quite believe it. Whenever little Ella would cry, she could feel her heart aching, wanting to know what was the matter, so she could somehow make it better for her. She felt the overwhelming responsibility towards this new, little life and it felt_wonderful_.

John was asleep next to her in bed, softly snoring with an open book against his chest. He had been so nervous these past couple of days since the birth, almost scared that he would break Ella she was so small. Their daughter had been born a few weeks earlier than expected, taking Anna quite by surprise in their cottage that evening – luckily John had arrived home just under an hour later. Anna had never been one to doubt John's capabilities as a father, even though he had stressed his worries occasionally throughout her pregnancy (although usually after she had demanded to know what was wrong), and seeing her husband interact with their daughter in the past two days had confirmed all that she had suspected of them. John was the perfect father, already recounting stories that he would tell to their little girl even though she was yet to understand them, mostly about how her mother and father met and apparently how she was a _beguiling faery_. Well, she had definitely had something to say about _that_. Anna suspected Ella would be wanting a lot more of those stories as she grew up. He had even sifted through a selection of Burns with Ella the previous evening, having laid the baby across his chest as he lulled her to sleep, the vibrations of his chest as he read presumably setting Ella to sleep.

Anna loved to watch them together, and she knew that she would never tire of doing so. Giving birth to Ella had been like falling in love with John all over again, their daughter taking after John in a lot of her physical features. Of course, they couldn't really tell at the moment, but her dark hair and hazel eyes were a give away, although John had argued that her nose was the same as Anna's.

John stirred in his sleep, shifting onto his back and letting out a loud, heavy breath. And then, from in her arms, Ella seemed to do the same, shifting a little bit more to get comfy although half-asleep, and then letting out little breaths that Anna could feel against the palm of her hand.

Her heart swelled, watching the two people she loved with such affection, beginning to stand up slowly to put Ella back into her cot. Ella squirmed at the movement and turned into her chest, her little hands flailing as much as was possible at such a young age.

_Like father, like daughter_, she thought to herself, smiling.


	3. Light

**A/N: **Thanks again for all the response, here's more fluff for you all. The prompt doesn't really come in until the end, but this idea got stuck in my head after that adorable scene in 4.08 and this is how I imagine the bazaar in a few years time… Spoilers for Series 4, although again I'd say it's a brief reference.

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**Nothing More, Nothing Less, Only Love**

**3, Light**

"Ella, stand still. Otherwise we're definitely going to be late."

Anna chastised her daughter, three years old and already stubborn as an ox. Ella stood before her mother, pouting as she was forced to change into another dress and her mother re-did her dark hair, so much like her father's, into two, long plaits. The little girl had not been happy when she had found out that she had to change dresses _twice _in one day, although the prospect of the village bazaar had her slowly succumbing to her mother's demands.

Ella stood impatiently; ready to leave at any second, her excitement having no limit today.

"Can we go yet?"

"Soon, baby girl. Once mummy has popped upstairs." _Or to the bathroom, more specifically, _Anna thought to herself, feeling the familiar, unsettling feeling in her stomach. It had been like this for almost a month.

When Anna had finally finished preparing her daughter's dress and hair, Ella leapt forward and wrapped her arms around her waist, or as much as her little arms could manage. Anna frowned at her daughter, although willingly welcomed her embrace, wondering what she was up to now. Not that displays of affection were uncommon from her daughter, but after the way she had been acting today Anna suspected there would be a reason.

"Mind the baby, sweetheart," Anna found herself saying, ever watchful. Her four-month-old baby bump was beginning to show now through her dresses, although she suspected that was to do with her no longer wearing a corset, John telling her there was no need and that it would only cause her further discomfort. The last month of her pregnancy had been a straining one, having been overcome by severe morning sickness that didn't seem to fade. Dr. Clarkson had assured them that there was nothing wrong, and that her pregnancy with Ella must have just been a mild case compared to now. Nevertheless, John had doted upon her, having been granted some time off by His Lordship after he had revealed her circumstances. Anna had enjoyed having him home that week, really she had, but his constant surveillance had eventually become too much and she had snapped at him more than once. Now that the morning sickness had receded a little – although _only a little_, but a fact Anna was willing to keep from her worrisome husband – John had returned to work, albeit reluctantly.

"Baby?" Ella asked inquisitively, pointing at Anna's small bump.

Anna nodded at her little girl, and smiled as Ella moved forward slightly to rest her hand there, pressing her ear to her mother's stomach as she so often did.

"Can you hear him?" Anna was convinced the child was a boy. So was John, although he also said he wouldn't mind another little girl.

Ella shook her head, defeated, and moved away. She suddenly changed the subject. "We go see Da now?"

Anna rolled her eyes at her insistent daughter, but nodded nonetheless. Ella insisted on calling John 'Da' even when she and John would call him 'Daddy' in front of her. It was a habit that she was yet to break out of, even if she did call Anna 'Mummy' now. Secretly, Anna knew that John loved it. "Go on, fetch your coat and we'll go."

Ella barely wasted a second.

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After making a quick trip to the bathroom to freshen up, finding that the sickness had passed, the two of them began their walk to Downton Abbey. They met a number of people from the village on their way, Anna catching up with a few people she had not seen in a while because of her bout of sickness. She was careful to keep an eye on Ella, who had a tendency to wander off and scare her parents out of their wits.

It didn't seem to take long until they were at the bazaar, the familiar scene of the servants rushing around to maintain everything was in order a fond memory for Anna. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Ella's eyes wandering over the different stalls and tents, and instinctively reached down to take hold of her hand.

Not a minute passed by and someone came over to greet them. Mrs Hughes approached with a wide smile across her face, especially when she took in the sight of little Ella.

"Anna, how lovely to see you!" Mrs Hughes exclaimed before bending down to Ella's level. "And you, little miss. You grow every time I see you!" She touched her cheek affectionately and Ella giggled.

"She certainly does," Anna commented thoughtfully, stroking the top of her daughter's head.

"And how are you fairing, dear?" She gave her a knowing look.

"Much better. Thank you, Mrs Hughes." Anna smiled, although none too convincingly for the older woman's liking. "After all, I hardly think Mr Bates would let me alone if I wasn't."

Mrs Hughes gave her another look – one that told Anna she was fooling no one here. She raised an eyebrow, and was about to say something when Ella squealed and shouted out, "Da!"

Both Anna and Mrs Hughes turned around to see John walking towards them, his smile widening as he acknowledged his daughter's excited greeting. Ella wriggled her hand free from Anna and ran across to her father, crashing into his legs and wrapping her arms around them.

John laughed and greeted her as per usual, ruffling her hair affectionately and bending down to kiss the top of her head. After that, he took her hand and led them back across to Anna and Mrs Hughes, greeting his wife as best he could considering they were not alone, managing to sneak a subtle hand upon her waist.

"How are you feeling?" he asked softly, pulling her closer to him as Mrs Hughes began to interact more with Ella. He quickly kissed her temple.

"Fine," Anna smiled. "A little bit off this morning, but nothing to fret over."

John gave her a sceptical look, but conceded defeat anyway. One of his hands rested on her small bump for a few moments, before Mrs Hughes turned back to them and he withdrew it.

He would speak with her about _that _later.

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Once the three of them had managed to escape the clutches of Daisy and Mrs Patmore, both of whom had sneaked Ella treat upon treat, the little girl having sat happily on her father's lap munching on a piece of cake, Ella tugged them across to a rather strange-looking, metal tub.

'Is that a bath?" Ella asked, frowning.

"Don't you remember last year?" Anna asked, coming up behind them. "We tried to win you a toy, but all you wanted was the duck."

Ella looked at her mother curiously for a moment, almost as though she was speaking in another language, before she returned her attentions to the tub, eagerly craning her head for a look inside.

John noticed this and lifted his daughter into his arms, ignoring the look Anna gave him. Ella peered curiously into the tub, her eyes brightening, the cake in her hand long forgotten as John decided to chance his arm and steal a bite, having been granted only a tiny morsel earlier when he had asked.

Luckily Ella didn't notice, too focused now on her mother who was trying with all her might to hook her make-shift fishing rod onto one of the hooks on the ducks. As Ella watched how close her mother was coming to catching one of the ducks, however, John only had eyes for his wife.

Her concentration as she steered the rod mesmerised John. It amused him to see her eyes narrowing in concentration, although when her tongue poked out of her mouth as another sign of her endeavours, a different kind of emotion stirred inside him. He smirked, his mind running through the possibilities of their night together once they returned home.

Eventually, Mr Travis who owned the stall conceded to letting Ella have one of the rubber ducks instead of the winning prize, unable to resist her charming smile that Anna put down to John.

And as the three of them walked home together later that afternoon, John having been granted the night off – something about Lord Grantham having '_something special planned with Her Ladyship_' – and while Ella ran ahead of them as fast as her little legs would carry her, Anna and John watched her thoughtfully, both their hearts aching with love.

She had been their light, there was no doubt about that. The light that had helped them re-build their relationship after the ruins that man had left them in. No matter how much the two of them tried to tell themselves he had not ruined them, for a time their relationship was strained and it _had_ taken time. Time and tears. The news about Ella had come as a shock, there was no doubt about that. After all, for all the time since John had been released from prison yet no news of a baby, the two of them were slowly beginning to think that it might not have been for them.

But although it had been a shock, and although it had worried Anna especially to begin with, Anna knew now that nothing else could have worked better for her through her process of healing. Motherhood had changed her, and whilst she still suffered from nightmares occasionally, she had found a way to move on from it. John would be there to sooth her fears away at night, and Ella would be there during the day, often needing her undivided attention. She would never forget it, that much she had learnt, but she could move on from it, and she could enjoy her life without the shadow of that night lurking around her like a veil.

Anna was pulled from her thoughts as John's arm came around her waist and she looked up and smiled, his hand coming to rest protectively across her baby bump.

Another sign of how far they had come together. Another sign of their love being able to survive anything. Another sign that they had come through the darkness and into the light.


	4. Dark

**A/N: **Back to Series 1, or more specifically the gap between 1 and 2. Back when it was all about stolen snuff boxes and being a silly beggar. Sigh.

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**Nothing More, Nothing Less, Only Love**

**4, Dark**

It was dark when she came back downstairs that night. She would not have come down at all had it not been for the look he had given her earlier. The look that said they needed to talk.

Earlier that morning she had received a letter from the War Office. Her brother, Daniel, had been killed at the front. She had fled from the breakfast table and into the courtyard before any one could bear witness to her tears and the uncomfortable retching sounds that had escaped her mouth before the shock had really settled. Anna had hidden behind the crates, praying that no one would come and search for her just yet.

Well, anyone but him. When he came, she found herself not minding quite so much.

She had fallen into his arms, comforting herself in his sturdy embrace.

Their moment had not lasted as long as she had hoped. Mrs Hughes had come looking for them both - they were needed upstairs. But he had made her promise to talk to him later.

And now here they were, sat on some of the crates in the courtyard, their knees occasionally brushing against each other.

Anna had begun by talking about Daniel – their childhood together and particularly fond memories they could share.

"We were always close," Anna admitted through her own tears. "We fought, like you do with siblings, but I could always tell him anything."

John rubbed her back soothingly.

"I got on with him better than my sisters."

He watched her carefully as she shuddered, whether from the cold March night or the ferocity of her emotions.

"Will you go and visit your family?" John eventually asked.

"Probably, for the funeral. It's not far."

He didn't want to ask if there would be a body to have a funeral. It would only upset her more, and he knew he would do anything in his power to shield her from pain. Any kind of pain. The harshness of war struck him, as it had on so many occasions over the last months, although any thoughts of his about his experiences of war were firmly pushed out of his mind. His full attention should be on Anna, and she deserved that. He would often dwell on Africa during his nights alone when sleep eluded him. Well, Africa or Anna. He knew which he preferred.

"If you needed me to come with you..." He offered and she looked up at him, her eyes wide, holding this kind of vulnerability he had never really seen in her before. "... I would."

Anna drew herself closer to him, snuggling against the warmth of his chest, albeit from the awkward angle by his side. "Thank you." She sighed softly.

They remained silent for quite some time after that. John would have thought she had fallen asleep had it not been for her irregular breathing; breathing that was beginning to shake once more. And suddenly she was crying again, and after he had pulled her closer to him, he drew away and cupped her cheeks, wiping away her tears with the pad of his thumbs.

This only caused more tears to fall, his loving and tentative movements shaking her to the core.

She lifted her eyes once more, and once she had nothing could stop John running his thumb over her lips, his heart lurching as they wobbled.

Anna responded shakily, almost pleading with him, "John..."

The next thing either of them knew, their lips were joined together, moving with a familiarity of years and years of practice. Their first kiss, cementing their emotions and their connection. It was not tentative, but passionate, even clumsy at times. Anna had lifted her hand to stroke some of the hair at the side of his head, and he was still cradling her face.

And here, in the darkness of the courtyard, John finally succumbed. Finally succumbed to Anna, and to his own heart.

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**A/N (2): **I don't know, this is always how I imagined their first kiss, as a result of the war in some way. I think in that kind of situation they'd have finally succumbed. Again, thank you all so much for reading and reviewing, it makes my day to see your comments.


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